The installation of a new mobile filing system last summer in the third floor vault of the Pope County Courthouse has created extra storage space and alleviated the need to store future records in off-site warehouses.

The circuit clerk’s office maintains the records of the civil, criminal, domestic relations and juvenile divisions of the court, as well as deeds, mortgages and land surveys.

The Pope County Quorum Court approved the purchase of a new mobile filing system in April 2011, and the new system was installed in July.

“There was barely any room for one person in the records vault,” Tucker said. “We really did need to upgrade our filing system.”

The new mobile filing system is similar to the filing system used by medical offices and research libraries. File cabinets slide from left to right, allowing for easy access and more storage in less space.

The mobile system replaced 139 standalone filing cabinets, allowing room for two clerks to work full-time inside the record’s vault.

“It is wonderful to see that our tax dollars are being put to good use,” Kelley said.

The price for the filing system was more than $40,000; the quorum court appropriated $21,940 and $20,000 came from the circuit clerk’s record fund.

Tucker said the extra storage alleviated the need to store future records off site.

“We have some older records in a climate controlled storage warehouse,” Tucker said. “It can take up to three days to process a records request for those. Now we have more space and we can store some of our older records on site, and we won’t need to send records off site in the future.”